Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology

Master's Degree

Advising

Initial academic advising is handled by the appropriate faculty
area advisor. Students continue to consult with this advisor each quarter until completion
of their course requirements. During this period, students also choose a Research Director
to supervise their thesis research. The Graduate Studies Committee, consisting of the
graduate advisor and other key faculty, reviews each student's progress quarterly.
Notification in writing is given to students who are performing at a very high level and
to those who are not making adequate progress. The faculty graduate advisor, faculty area
advisors, and Director of Graduate Student Affairs are available for personal consultation.

Areas of Study

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Thirty-eight units of coursework are required. At least 20 of the 38 units must be at the graduate level (courses numbered 200 and above), while the remaining units may be upper division undergraduate courses (courses numbered from 100 to 199). Required courses include Chemistry and Biochemistry 269A-269B-269C-269D-269E (10 units); Chemistry and Biochemistry 258 during the first quarter of the second year; Chemistry and Biochemistry 268 during the first three quarters; and three laboratory rotations (Chemistry and Biochemistry 596) during the first year. After completion of Chemistry and Biochemistry 269A-269B-269C-269D-269E, at least four additional units of graduate level courses are required. Additional lecture courses are chosen from a list of approved graduate courses available from the schedule of classes. Up to 24 units of Chemistry and Biochemistry 596 or 598 may be applied toward the total course requirement; up to eight units may be applied toward the graduate course requirement. Up to four units of graduate-level seminar courses may be applied to the graduate course requirement. Substitutions may be made with the consent of the faculty graduate adviser.

Teaching Experience

Not Required. Students who serve as teaching assistants must enroll in
and receive a grade of S for Chemistry and Biochemistry 375 for each quarter
they teach in order to continue teaching.

Field Experience

Not Required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

In exceptional cases, a comprehensive examination is administered
in lieu of a thesis. This written examination is administered and graded by a faculty
committee selected by the faculty graduate adviser and is graded pass or fail. For
students who fail, recommendation for or against a second examination is made by the
faculty graduate advisor.

Thesis Plan

Every master's degree thesis plan
requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the
student's ability to perform original, independent research.

The thesis plan is the preferred method of attaining the M.S.
degree in Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology. Preference in admissions is given to
students who have already identified a research adviser under whose direction the thesis
research is conducted. By the sixth week of the first term in residence, a master's
committee is appointed for each student consisting of the student's faculty research
adviser and two additional faculty members chosen by the faculty graduate adviser. This
committee has the responsibility for approving or disapproving the master's thesis. By the
end of the first term, the student is required to submit a brief written research proposal
for approval by the master's committee. Students have five academic quarters after the
submission of proposal to complete the degree.

Time-to-Degree

From admission to completion of courses: Three academic quarters
(one calendar year).

From admission to award of degree: Three to six academic quarters
(one to two calendar years).

Doctoral Degree

Advising

Initial academic advising is handled by the appropriate faculty
area advisor. Students continue to consult with this advisor each quarter until completion
of their course requirements. During this period, students also choose a research director
to supervise the dissertation research. The Graduate Studies Committee, consisting of the
faculty and staff graduate advisors, reviews each student's
progress quarterly. Notification in writing is given to students who are performing at a
very high level and to those who are not making adequate progress. The faculty graduate
adviser, faculty area advisers, and Director of Graduate Student Services are available for
personal consultation.

Minimum Progress. At the end of the first and second year, the
overall progress of each student is evaluated by the Graduate Study Committee or
Biochemistry Faculty Committee, taking into account performance in courses, written
examinations, teaching, and research. The committee may recommend that students (1) proceed to the
oral examination, (2) be redirected to the M.S. program, or (3) be terminated.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Candidates should normally complete as a minimum the coursework
indicated below. Some of these requirements can be met on the basis of courses taken prior
to entry into the graduate program with consent of the faculty graduate adviser. Required
coursework must be completed prior to advancement to candidacy. Substitutions may be made with the consent of the faculty graduate adviser.

(1) Required background material: one year organic chemistry, one
course in physical chemistry or biophysical chemistry, one year of biochemistry, some
coursework in the life sciences, and some biochemistry laboratory experience.

(2) Chemistry and Biochemistry 269A-269B-269C-269D-269E (10 units) should be
taken in the first year.

(3) Sixteen units of additional upper division or graduate-level
courses, including four to six units of discussion courses or the equivalent,
chosen in consultation with the graduate adviser. These courses are to be chosen with the
following goals in mind: (a) in addition to the in-depth training in the student's areas
of specialization, the selected courses should provide broad training in the multiple
areas of biochemistry, molecular and structural biology; and (b) in addition to a didactic lecture
component, there should be a significant discussion component. Two seminar courses should
be included in the selected courses to ensure that the student gains training in the
critical evaluation of scientific literature.

(4) Chemistry and Biochemistry 258 during the first quarter of the second year.

(5) Chemistry and Biochemistry 268 during the first three quarters.

(6) Three laboratory rotations (Chemistry and Biochemistry 596)
during the first year.

Teaching Experience

One year of teaching experience (three quarters) is generally required. Students who serve
as teaching assistants must enroll in and receive a grade of S for Chemistry
and Biochemistry 375 for each quarter they teach in order to continue
teaching.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to
complete and pass University written and oral qualifying examinations
prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations
the University oral qualifying examination is open only to the student and
appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to University
requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination
requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to
fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

The written examination requirement is coupled to the graduate
student seminar (Chemistry and Biochemistry 258). Chemistry and Biochemistry 258 requires
a presentation of the student's proposed dissertation research. After completing this oral
presentation, the student prepares a written dissertation research proposal. The proposal
includes information about the background and significance of the area of research, the
specific aims to be addressed and experiments proposed. The written qualifying component
of the Ph.D. program is fulfilled after the student satisfactorily completes this
proposal. A written proposal that is deemed
unsatisfactory may be revised once.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination consists of an original
research proposal in an area distinct from the student's dissertation research and done
without assistance from the research adviser. The proposal is presented orally to the
committee, and the committee questions the candidate on the proposal, general knowledge of
the area, and dissertation research progress. The proposal represents independent work and
offers the doctoral committee the opportunity to judge the student's ability to think
creatively and to formulate significant ideas for research.

All students are required to take the University Oral Qualifying
Examination by June 30 of their second year. The committee's decision to advance a student
to candidacy, to allow the student to repeat all or part of the oral, or to disqualify the
student, is based on the student's overall record at UCLA as reflected in coursework and
examinations, and the student's research ability and productivity.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of
the written and oral qualifying examinations. The Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree
is awarded for the quarter in which students are advanced to candidacy.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved
dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original,
independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in
the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

The following are normal times to complete the requirements of the
program:

From admission to completion of written qualifying examinations
(see above for definition/description of these for each major): three to five academic
quarters (one to one and two-thirds calendar years).

From admission to advancement to candidacy: six academic quarters
(two calendar years).

From admission to award of degree: 12 to 18 academic quarters (four
to six calendar years).

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be
recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from
continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to
maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate
to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other
examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and
poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point
averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their
department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including
the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at
UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

A student may be recommended for termination by the Graduate Study
Committee or the Biochemistry Faculty Committee. A student may appeal a recommendation for
termination to the departmental chair.